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Grateful Guitars Foundation board members share actual stage-played and replica Grateful Dead instruments and gear from their personal collections with players in the community and will be set up at The Hamilton Live on August 7th with Steely Dead + August 8th with Better Off Dead & Bella Rayne. Don’t miss this unique chance to see replicas of some of The Dead’s most iconic axes. A concert ticket for that specific night is required.
Keller’s Description: “Loose interpretations of Grateful Dead songs done in a bluegrass style. Take my fascination with Grateful Dead songs and mix it together with my love of psychedelic improvisational bluegrass music and out burps this project.
Led by the incomparable Zach Nugent, Dead Set’s uncanny ability to channel the spirit of Jerry Garcia is nothing short of astounding. Nugent’s virtuosic guitar work captures Garcia’s essence, enchanting audiences with spellbinding solos and breathtaking improvisations. The band’s tight-knit chemistry and unwavering dedication ensure that every note resonates with the same magic that made the Grateful Dead legendary.
Great Northern recreates the music and community that Grateful Dead fans know and love. The D.C. area’s most fun and energetic Grateful Dead tribute band, Great Northern captures the creativity and improvisational dynamics of a Grateful Dead live performance. More than just a tribute band, it is a living bridge between generations of Deadheads, featuring a unique lineup that blends veteran Deadheads with younger members who add a modern jam flavor.
Guitarist Stanley Jordan has formed a new band called Stanley Plays The Dead. He describes it as “Cosmic vibal variations on the music of the Grateful Dead. We’re adding more jazz elements, while keeping the original musical feel and the trippy vibe.” Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see one of the world’s most reverred tapping guitars who also happens to have recieved 4 Grammy nominations.
Great Northern recreates the music and community that Grateful Dead fans know and love. The D.C. area’s most fun and energetic Grateful Dead tribute band, Great Northern captures the creativity and improvisational dynamics of a Grateful Dead live performance. More than just a tribute band, it is a living bridge between generations of Deadheads, featuring a unique lineup that blends veteran Deadheads with younger members who add a modern jam flavor.
John Kadlecik is a singer, songwriter, and musician based in the DC-area who is primarily known for being a guitar-slinging sideman to Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir in the band Furthur. We welcome the original co-founder of Dark Star Orchestra right here to the Hamilton Live stage! John has been performing improvisationally-oriented shows and touring nationally for the last 20 years. His work includes several studio releases of original music, and he is currently performing with Melvin Seals & JGB in addition his ‘Solo Acousti’Lectric’ act!
Grahame Lesh is a guitar player and singer-songwriter for Midnight North, Phil Lesh & Friends, & the Terrapin Family Band. A mainstay in the scene that flowered from Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, Grahame has joined such luminaries as The Mother Hips, Twiddle, Amy Helm, The North Mississippi All Stars, Neal Casal, Jackie Greene, Eric Krasno, ALO, and many more in singing, playing, and interpreting the American songbook.
GLAF takes immense pleasure in reviving forgotten and unfinished Grateful Dead songs, working out alternate versions of Grahame’s Midnight North compositions, fleshing out songs written by Grahame’s brother Brian, and finding the fun covers that tie them all together. As a member of Phil Lesh’s Terrapin Family Band and Phil Lesh & Friends, he has traveled the world, performing Phil’s updated version of the Grateful Dead’s sound everywhere from the famed Fuji Rock Festival in Japan to London to Newport Folk Fest to New York city. Phil Lesh & Friends and the TFB have welcomed guests like Sheryl Crow, Benmont Tench, John Scofield, Rick Mitarotonda, Nicki Bluhm, Dawes, Warren Haynes, Eric Krasno, Bob Weir, and many more onstage as they performed at venues and festivals around the world.
Steely Dead’s repertoire is a carefully crafted fusion of Grateful Dead and Steely Dan songs, between the arrangement and precision studio recordings of rock legends Steely Dan, cross-pollinated with the Grateful Dead’s free-flowing, melodic improvisation and masterful song segues. Steely Dead merges these major concepts together infusing the influence into each band, all the while creating an original jam element with the song segues. Steely Dead’s performances are a musical journey that takes audiences on a nostalgic trip through the golden era of rock and roll.
Their performances are not just concerts, but communal gatherings where fans come together to celebrate the music they love, dance, and create lasting memories. Steely Dead’s performances are a testament to the power of live music, bringing people together and creating an unforgettable experience that resonates long after the last note fades.
Better Off Dead play nearly every song in the Dead catalog and their performances are not just concerts, but communal gatherings where fans come together to celebrate the music they love, dance, and create lasting memories. They aspire to play the music anew, often with fidelity to the past but just as often with the daring to forge their own path along with a deep rooted connection to the wonderful community of fans who love the Dead.
At just 18, Bella Rayne is a self-taught guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter whose sound is quickly turning heads across the country. Born in the mountains of North Carolina and raised along the rugged coast of Mendocino, California, she blends rock and Americana with the improvisational spirit of the jam-band tradition—creating a sound that feels both timeless and strikingly new, bridging generations of listeners. Blending soulful Southern rock, modern Americana, and improvisational jam with bold reinterpretations of Grateful Dead classics alongside Bella’s own originals result in a sound that feels both timeless and unmistakably new.
Despite her young age, Bella has already shared the stage with seasoned artists and respected bands: appearances alongside Allman Betts Family Revival, Melvin Seals & JGB, ALO, Jackie Greene, Oteil Burbridge, and members of Terrapin Family have all added to her early résumé and she was touted as “one to watch” by her idol, Susan Tedeschi in a 2025 Guitar World Magazine interview. In addition, she has been invited to iconic stages nationwide.
One of the most iconic moments of her rising career: she was entrusted to play the legendary guitar known as “Alligator” — once wielded by Jerry Garcia. That honor, courtesy of Grateful Guitars Foundation, has become a defining chapter in Bella’s journey and Guitar Player magazine recently recognized her as one of the players “keeping the Dead alive” alongside Jeff Mason (Dark Star Orchestra) and Tom Hamilton (JRAD) in an article from May 2025.
